Christmas 2008: Molly

Piscina Nadya; December 12, 2009

PERSONAL ACTION:

Molly starts by buying a few early Christmas Gifts for her contacts in Boston who she has recently made contact with and sending them off a bit early (Her budget for the endeavor is up to about $10,000 but she looks more for things that are likely to suit their tastes yet be somewhat off-beat then to spend all her money - she's just willing to spend money if that's what it takes to find the right pieces). She tries to get her shopping done very early in the week (prior to Black Friday) to have them there by the end of the first week.

The next week, after they have arrived, she waits a few days for the likely thank-you calls or letters. She uses this as a pretext for starting up a conversation. Her aim for this particular round of calls is Prince Wright and his history prior to entering New York. Primarily, she wants to know if he's always been quite as humane as he seems to be now, and if there are any interesting stories of note which involve him. (If she can get scandalous gossip she certainly wouldn't mind in the least).

Molly is willing to spend a bit of energy to hunt this information down, including following up on information she gets. If she hears a story which occurred in a particular city for example, perhaps the members of that city also deserve a call.

In addition to the Kindred Contacts x4 which she is using Molly also has the skills Empathy, Subterfuge, Etiquette x2 (Camarilla), and Politics x2 to assist her in this process, as well as 8 socials - most of which are aimed at this sort of social banter (Charming, Diplomatic, Eloquent, Expressive, Ingratiating x2). She also has Clan Friendship: Toreador merit and her own social status of Cherished x2.

Molly is trying to get information on Prince Wright and his background. Especially if he has always been as humane as he currently is, and any dirty stories she may be able to get her hands on. She is using Contacts x4 to do this.

She is doing nice things for her Boston Contacts to prevent them from feeling over-used.

Influence Response:

Most of your Bostonian compatriots have taste that runs closer to the eccentric than the ludicrously expensive. For Alistair Kepler, the mild-tempered Malkavian Scientist, you acquire an Egely Wheel, but you find that art does the trick more often than not - either classical, or bleeding-edge postmodern - however, you veer a bit closer to pieces that remind you (however slightly) of the intended recipient.

This goes over better than expected.

The obligatory calls come in fairly quickly, and the overall tone is quite pleasant. It turns out that, well, everyone is throwing money around in Boston, and it's all very impersonal - but you, you darling thing you - you actually took some time out of your busy nights, and how *did* you know that so-and-so had a soft spot for impressionism, etc. All in all, your new friends are feeling quite friendly at the time you begin to breach the topic of Eugene Wright.

No one you talk to in Boston had met him personally, although a handful saw him at the last conclave, up in Halifax. (These few are quick to point out that he and Justicar Pasheck don't seem to see eye to eye, and one wonders aloud what kind of idiot child mouths off to his own Justicar.)

You do however, get something a bit more solid from one of your Toreador friends, a ballerina named Anastasia Volochkova who seems just delighted with the nigh-skeletal-looking swan in the painting you bought her. The piece struck you as quite abstract at the time of purchase, but you seemed to remember her having been in Swan Lake once upon a time, so you bought it on a whim. When Miss Volochkova calls you, however, she is nearly choking on tears, moved that you 'get' her, that you see The Swan Inside, not like those *Perhot' podzalupnaya* back in Bolshoi...
Anyway, Miss Volovhkova knows of a girl who shares her Christian name, lovely girl... or at least, she was. She ran into her down in the south somewhere, Texas maybe, and she was just an absolute wreck. She can't recall the details, but she's pretty certain that's all Wright's fault. She *suspects* that Wright was in fact down there too... this was over the summer, if she recalls... anyway, he was *certainly* doing something unsavory, because no one was supposed to know he was there - anyway, she hopes that's helpful.

What she is *certain* will be helpful however, is the phone number of the Harpy of Cleveland - who she is positive can get you what you're looking for. After some pleasantries, and profuse apologizing for her earlier display of emotion, you bid her farewell, and promise to call again soon.

In conversing with Alicia, you find that your dancing diva friend has done little to brace you for the experience. Not that Miss Tried isn't *Fabulous* - in fact, that is a terribly apt way of describing hir - but the husky voice, and creepily oversexualized speech cadence make things just a touch more uncomfortable than usual. She is, however, gushingly forthcoming about Brody - and she refuses to refer to him by any other name.

"Oh, you poor, poor, poor tormented thing - I forgot they put it in charge of New York. Oh, where to begin on Mr. Brody Day Jackson - oh, he doesn't go by that? Well, I suppose he can ignore Prince Campana's edicts, since he's not in Cleveland anymore - but yes, our beloved Prince hated the sound of his name so much, he commissioned me to craft for him a new one. So, "Brody Day Jackson" - it means, "Abandon the Day, son of Jack." You know about his Sire, right? That horrible Anarch? Yes, it was all just a big, horrible mess here - dirty, dirty nasty work to clean it up. We made him scourge, though, so he had to go and put down all the rest of his, ahem, 'siblings' and whatnot.

Humane? Darling, hardly. The first thing he did as a Kindred was kill a man - with his *teeth*, of all things! Bloody horrible savage thing, like an ape or something. He's pointed a gun at me - (me!) several times, half of them in Elysium, yes indeed. Oh, yes, as Scourge, god... he killed dozens, I think - Benny would have those numbers if you want them, Brody pretty much reported to him... honestly, who wants details on 'how many' caitiff the man shot in a particular ditch, really? Just so long as the horrible things don't show up in court, they're not our concern, are they darling Molly? Oh but yes, terrible, violent man. That sort is useful if there's Sabbat about, sure - but Brody's terribly uppity - mark my words, he'll try to get boons out of you for every last little thing.

Specifically? Oh, there was a dreadful business before he left the domain - everyone was terribly happy to see him go, really. He was just a savage wreck by the end - but after what happened to poor Fiona, I don't see how he could have fared any better.

Oh, sorry - I thought you knew. Fiona was his Childe -darling girl, an absolute sweetheart. She fit in much better with us Rosies if you ask me, and you *are* asking me, so now you know. That's a terribly long story, and I'm sure you don't really care about all that opera. Anyway, the Sabbat got hold of her, and..." at this point, a curious thing happens. Alicia's voice softens, and sounds less like a cartoony sexpot. "it was... it was pretty bad. Everybody took that pretty badly." The moment is gone, and the horrible smoky stripper cadence returns. "So yeah, we all wanted those sons of bitches to pay, sure - but that horrible, horrible boy, he got all crazy and vengeful - he didn't just go after the Sabbat, he burnt down an entire nightclub full of people, just to get at the guy! I mean, who knows how many people could have died in that, right?

You can put a Gypsy in Armani, but he still stinks, am I right? Not that Mr. Jackson could afford Armani, heh.

Anyway, thanks for calling darling Molly - don't you be a stranger, and again, I'm terribly sorry that wicked, wicked man somehow came to power. When you get sick of him, you'll always have a home in Cleveland."